


Ladies do talk about these things

by Fangfaceandrea



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Podrick Payne, girl talk, ship-adjacent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22269406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangfaceandrea/pseuds/Fangfaceandrea
Summary: Arya and Sansa bonding time after the end of S7 because sometimes sisters talk about these things.
Relationships: Arya Stark & Sansa Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Ladies do talk about these things

**Author's Note:**

> So, this little ficlet was sitting unfinished on my computer for a while now and I thought I'd share.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated so don't be shy to let me know if you enjoy.
> 
> Also, fair warning, this will not pass the Bechdel test. This is girl-talk about boys.

Once upon a time in Winterfell, after disposing of Littlefinger, the Stark sisters were enjoying an afternoon’s respite …

“What?” Sansa asks annoyed.

“What, what?”

“Arya, it’s the tenth time you sigh like that, what’s the matter?” Sansa asked as they stood on the ramparts overseeing some of the men training.

“Nothing.”

“Really? Are you bored? Because there’s plenty of things to do, organizing food, soldiers to train…”

“I’m just pondering our impending deaths” Arya cut her sister off before she started delegating.

“A cheery thought.” Sansa replies dryly.

“Not, like that. More like I’m wondering about the things I never did, in case we do die”

“Ah. Your list?”

“More or less …” Arya trailed of for a bit and then asked “You have known Podrick for a long time, right?”

“Yes, I suppose, he was Tyrion’s squire even before we were married. Why?” she asked furrowing her brows at her sister’s sudden turn in conversation.

“He’s too nice. Has he always been so nice?”

“He’s always been very kind to me…”she trails off wondering what Arya is on about. She hope’s she’s not including Pod in her kill list.

“And are the rumors about him true?”

“Arya! What?” Sansa exclaimed a bit scandalized “how do you even know about those rumors?”

“Girls talk about him, but more like a legend, no one actually claims they know first-hand.”

“Well, neither do I, obviously. But I’ve heard the rumors ever since King’s Landing.” She admits.

“And?”

“And I also might have overheard Tyrion and Bronn talking about him.”

“What did they say?” Instead of answering Sansa looks around to see if there are people nearby and pulls Arya to her room, she makes point of closing the door to ensure privacy.

Arya is looking at her with amused eyes, “so?...with all the mystery this better be good.”

“Bronn said that he…oh gods, I can’t believe I’m saying this...”

“What did he say? And who’s Bronn?”

“He was Tyrion’s friend and he said” Now Sansa’s voice was a whisper “that Podrick had a magic cock, alright?” she obviously hated saying the word.

Arya burst out laughing at the mortified look on her sister’s face “Lady Sansa, such words! What would mother say?”

“Oh, shut it.” She said with a strangled chuckle.

“Anyway… magic? What do you think it does? Light up?” Arya says with a mischievous grins that makes Sansa giggle and shake her head thinking her embarrassment might be worth it, if only to have this moment with her sister.

“Light up? Gods, Arya…”

As she perches on one of the sofas that faced the hearth in Sansa’s solar, her little sister shrugs. “What? I’ve seen swords light on fire, why not a c-”

“Why the sudden interest in Podrick’s… in Podrick?” Sansa interrupts embarrassed to hear —or say— the word again.

“Other than the fact that he’s rumored to be a sex-god?” she tries to divert.

“a sex-go-” she shakes her head “honestly, Arya…”

Her younger sister takes a second to answer seriously, though, as she receives the glass of ale Sansa offers while she takes a goblet of wine.

“I’ve been wondering if perhaps I should ask him to … show me.” She finished softly.

“oh!” It takes a second for Sansa to understand Arya’s meaning “oh!... really?”

“Well, I would like to know what it’s like. Before we die.”

“And you chose Pod?”

“I haven’t chosen him, I’m just curious, is all.”

“So, back in Braavos you never…”

She could swear Arya’s cheeks were glowing red. _That’s a first_. “No. Never. I saw plenty, but there was never someone like that.”

“I see. And, before that?”

She huffs “before that, the Hound would have killed anyone who dared look at me that way. He did kill plenty, we both did, come to think of it.”

“hmmmf” is the displeased sound Sansa manages to emit, while she appreciates that her little sister can protect herself, it’s still hard to think about what she had to do to survive “well, at least Sandor protected you”

Arya looks at her sister with sad eyes and sighs “ _Sandor_ was an ass… but he kept me safe.” 

“I’m glad at least you were safe with him.” There’s a lull in the conversation, as it always is when conversation skirts around the edges of what happened to her but Sansa will not let this turn sour, that monster will not take any more from her and indulging in whatever this is with Arya… well, that’s everything, so she soldiers through “so… anyway, do you have other candidates besides Podrick?”

“I don’t know… there is a stable boy who’s not bad looking and a couple of guards who don’t seem completely terrified of me, one of them may even bathe regularly” she is half joking but Sansa can tell she’s thought about it.

“I don’t know… I wouldn’t dismiss the terrified ones” Sansa mutters while staring at the fireplace and Arya gives her a side-glance.

“Alright… this is strange, are you sure that’s just wine in your goblet?”

“Only Arbor gold. Why?”

“You’re being too understanding, it’s odd”

“Why? Would you rather I suggested a handsome Lord, maybe a Dornish prince? I could introduce you to our cousin Robyn, he’s an absolute _delight_ and the Lord Protector of the Vale, no less.”

“Ha! Now you sound more like yourself” Arya teases and Sansa huffs, “but I was actually talking about you not being all, ‘Arya, this kind of talk is improper’”.

“You’d be surprised…dear sister, how little I care about propriety, nowadays.”

“Really? But you still are so… you’re… such a lady!” and for one the word didn’t come out of Arya’s mouth with the disdain of old but with something akin to admiration.

“Well yes, it’s all I know how to be…but, why act like our private talk is improper after everything we’ve seen? Plus… ladies do talk about these things, I’ll have you know” and the memory of Margery trying to soothe her worries before her wedding brings a small smile to her face, one the few good memories she has of King’s Landing. _Women in our position have to make the best of our circumstances_ were the Queen-to-be’s reassuring words _._

“And what, pray tell, do these ladies have to say about my predicament?” Arya takes a sip of her ale as she waits for Sansa’s response; she seems to be lost in memories.

“… that for the most part, women don’t know what they like until they’ve tried it so we should be open to trying it” she’s not sure she recalls the words perfectly but that was the idea. _Wasn’t it_?

“And you’ve no issue with me… trying it?”

Sansa sobers as she ponders her response but she’s rather calm and matter of fact about it. “You’ll have to be careful, of course. I’d rather you were discrete and that you did not make a hasty choice, the war against the dead isn’t tomorrow, you have time.”

“And … That’s it?”

Sansa shakes her head and grimaces “also, moon tea.”

Arya nods and looks at her sister trying to erase the pity from her face “is that how you never…” and Sansa gives a short nod “but how?”

“Maester Wolkan gave it to me in secret… it’s one of the reasons we didn’t send him away after we took Winterfell back…he is a good man.”

“Well, a better man would have poisoned that rat” says Arya indignantly and even through the bitterness of the topic Sansa has to smile.

“Most men, even good men wouldn’t dare, most won’t ever be as brave as you, Arya.”

“Or you” she replies “most men won’t ever have to, the fuckers!”

And despite the turn in the tone of conversation, for once Sansa bursts out laughing at her sister swearing “is that how you’re going to seduce Pod, all that sweet talk?”

“Seduce him?” she sounds horrified “ugh, I hadn’t thought of that” and the way she scrunches her face before taking a big gulp of ale makes Sansa keep on giggling.

“So what were you planning? Ordering him to your room like a common whore?”

Arya almost spits “Seven hells!… could you imagine his face if I did?”

“Oh gods, he’d be so confused, poor Pod.”

“He’d be terrified; he always looks at me like he thinks I’m going to pull a knife on him.”

“He does not,” Arya raises her brow at her sister “honestly, he’s probably more worried that you’re going to start a fight with someone else” Sansa says with a mock grimace.

“Hmmm” Arya takes another sip of her drink as she ponders the idea of Pod. “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“He wouldn’t’ be terrified if _you_ ordered him to your chambers”

“Arya!”

“What?” she asks “he’d probably be all ‘at once, Lady Sansa’, ‘I serve at your pleasure, Lady Sansa’” she snickers at the look of shock on her sister’s face.

Sansa blushes as she forces out humorless chuckle “gods, can you imagine?”

“I can Sansa, that’s why I said it.” Arya deadpans.

“Yes? Well… I can’t” she shakes her head and feeling lost for words “Even in jest … I just don’t think I’m that kind of girl.”

“Careful, sis, you’re on the verge of offending me.”Arya teases without malice in her voice.

Still, Sansa tries to amend “That’s not what I mean; I’m not calling you a whore, far from it”

“Then what are you trying to say?”

“I don’t know…just that that’s not me…even without my past I’d’ be too shy to -”

“Oh wait! That’s crap, you’re not shy, I’ve seen you command a roomful of lords as easily as I wipe my sword after a clean kill.”

 _That was disturbing but also, a battle for another day,_ Sansa thought before replying “Well I’m usually ordering them to bring in supplies not to… to wait for me naked on my bed, Arya!”

Arya’s laughter – no, that’s a cackle, really –somehow manages to embarras Sansa further and fill her with a strange ease at the same time, like she knows her sister is not laughing at her but encouraging to laugh with her… and it’s nice despite the subject matter.

Eventually the laughter dies and Arya’s eyes turn soft on her.

“You know, I’m hearing a lot of things about _You_ but it seem as though you’ve no objections to Podrick” Arya smiles mischievously, oh she likes how she turned this talk around.

“I… oh, No... I mean… I don’t... he’s nice… I couldn’t say he’s …”

“He’s cute and he definitely bathes regularly” really, it’s just nice of her to interrupt Sansa’s mumbling.

“What?”

“And he follows orders, which might be good for you, keep you in control.”

Sansa can only gape at Arya.

“I’m just saying sweet sister, if we’re going to die, you might consider trying to experience it with the resident sex-god who’s always been kind to you.” with that Arya places a kiss on her bewildered sister’s brow and stands to leave.

“What about you?” Sansa’s voice stops her just as she’s about to exit the room “That is how this talk started, remember?”

“Oh, now that I have your blessing I’ll keep looking into that stable boy… and Brienne said Jon will be sending new smiths too.” She shrugs with a grin as she leans on the doorframe “we’ll see...”

“Seriously… are you just going to leave? After you’ve put all these ideas in my head?”

“I can always send Pod to keep you company” was Arya’s cheeky response before she closed the door behind her.

“Please don’t.” she stupidly replies to the closed door.

_Seriously, how is she ever going to be able to look at Podrick again after this conversation?_

_Dammit Arya!_


End file.
